when do we discuss birthplan?

D

due 01/27/10

New member
When do you and your doctor discuss birth plan? I have a lot of questions about giving birth and policies and what not... So what week were you in when you and your doctor discussed your birth plan?
 
ask as soon as possible that way if the doctor brings something up you really want to think about you have plenty of time. i plan on talking about that mid-pregnancy so at about 20 weeks
 
I discussed it on the first visit because I wanted a doctor who was in favor of my birth plan and talking about it right away gave me plenty of time to change doctors. Actually, parts of my birth plan I talked about with the nurse even before my first appointment.
 
I was 28 weeks when I brought in my birth plan. He took it from me and asked me to book a longer appointment next time so that we could sit down and discuss it in detail since I was only booked for my prenatal and he had a ton of bookings. He looked it over and had notes prepared for our discussion. It went really well and it was nice to know that he had the time to actually discuss it in detail.

It's better to just bring it up and ask if you can discuss it in detail at your next appointment. They tend to have limited time during appointments so if you ask to make one to discuss the birth plan in detail they will make accommodations for it and it's nice because you know that you have their attention.
 
The only problem with a birthplan is that childbirth never goes according to plan. Seriously, plan for a healthy baby and you should be ok!! Ask your doctor when he/she would like to discuss it, but try not to get this idea that you'd like soft music and mood lighting and all that cuz in labor you will not care one bit! Obviously you should ask all your questions and check what policies are whenever the questions arise! Good luck!
 
I just did mine at the last appointment I had with my midwife and I was 31 weeks along. I wrote it out according to the book "What to Expect When You Are Expecting", they had a nice list of things to include on the birthplan. And then I took it into my midwife and asked some questions and we adjusted whatever needed to be adjusted. I hear it is best to keep a birthplan to under a page, since they will be referring to it quickly and you don't want to get too wordy. Just put your basic wishes and realize that sometimes they just can not accomodate your wishes (like if the baby is sick or going into distress). But try to talk about it in your early 30-weeks, so you can feel a little more confident going into the labor-impending segment of pregnancy.
 
YOU should bring it up when you want to talk about it. Don't assume your doctor will even bring it up on their own.

You can also take a free tour of labor and delivery, and usually the lady who does the tours will give you more info on policies then your doctor will. That is where you get the info on number of visitors allowed, a chance to see the OR, and find out what birthing options your hospital actually has.
 
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